Junior Lawyer (International) - Supporting Universal Jurisdiction Cases to Pursue Accountability in Ukraine

Description

Global Rights Compliance (GRC) is an international legal foundation focused on bringing perpetrators to justice for atrocity crimes. We have a presence in the Hague, London, Washington, and Ukraine.
GRC works in Ukraine in support of the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) through several GRC Mobile Justice Teams (MJTs), a component of the UK, EU, and US’ Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group, that assist the OPG by providing crime scene evidence collection and analysis and real-time advice on investigations and case building. Our headquarters for this project are in Kyiv, Ukraine. GRC’s MJTs operate throughout Ukraine in areas of interest to the OPG.

OBJECTIVES

Over 90,000 war crimes have been registered in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Not only do these crimes concern the international community as a whole, but some of them were/ are directed against foreign victims and witnesses. Therefore, the OPG and Ukrainian and international civil society organizations (CSOs) have begun looking into the use of universal jurisdiction principles in order to seek accountability for these crimes in jurisdictions outside of Ukraine.
The project will support national authorities to identify and advance viable cases for strategic litigation in third states under the principle of universal jurisdiction with an emphasis on cases involving crimes against/affecting children (CAAC) and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV).

DUTY STATION: The job will be remote and full-time.
CONTRACT DURATION: 14 months contract with possible extension.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Legal and factual research on universal jurisdiction;
• Analysis of information related to violations of international humanitarian and criminal law committed in Ukraine;
• Assist Senior Lawyers in liaising with national prosecutorial authorities and civil society organizations;
• Provide assistance to the Project’s legal analysis outputs;
• Assistance with drafting project deliverables; including strategic recommendations; journal articles; op-eds; etc.
• Additional tasks within the scope of the Project to assist Senior Lawyers

ATTRIBUTES AND EXPERIENCE

We are looking for a person who:

• Has an advanced degree in law and/or qualification to practice law;
• Has three or more years of relevant legal experience;
• Practical experience in international human rights, criminal, and/or humanitarian law;
• Understanding of universal jurisdiction procedures;
• Flexible and creative; able to work in an unstructured, changeable & fast-moving environment, proactive, anticipating problems and solutions orientated;
• Works independently, is a practical and strategic thinker, and enjoys challenges;
• Administratively competent; able to manage competing urgent demands;
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills in English;
• Practical experience in working with highly sensitive material and an ability to demonstrate the requisite skill in storing, sharing, and working with such material;
• Able to work as part of a multicultural team working towards a common goal and respectful of differentiating working approaches;
• Experience in investigations or prosecutions (desired).

How to apply

Please submit your CV and cover letter to [email protected] by the 30th of September indicating the position you are applying for in the email subject.